Many people dream of having stunning wooden flooring in their home. But, what many do not realize is that to get that stunning finish, you truly have to look after the floor, and this includes some periodic sanding and finishing. Floor sanding, however, is something that you can only do a few times each year at the most. Please read on to see how to sand a floor. Keep in mind that the best results will happen through the use of professionals.

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Steps

1

Completely clear out the targeted area or room.

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2

Try a practice run of the sanding process on an area that is hidden most of the time (such as under a couch).

3

Use a belt floor sanding machine with a very coarse 36 grit on to remove all of the old seal and to level the floor. The sander needs to sweep and glide over the floor on smooth circular motions, lightly taking out the very top layer of the flooring. Always sand the floor going with the wood grain or at a 45 degrees angle to the grain. Avoid jerky actions which could be possibly unsafe for your floor and leave it looking even worse than before you began.

4

Start the smoothing process by using a 50 grit sanding belt. This will remove the scratches left by the previous 36 grit belt.

5

Use a 80 grit sanding belt to remove the scratches left by the 50 grit sanding belt.

6

Use a rotary sander or a buffer with a 100 grit or 120 grit disk to remove the fine scratches left by the 80 grit sanding belt. The buffer will leave the floor very smooth and prepare the floor for priming.

7

Apply a wood flooring base prime to prepare the wood floor for lacquering.

8

Run the buffer machine over it with a 150 grit disk to remove any raised grain, leaving the floor very smooth after you have primed the wooden floor.

9

Hoover the floor to remove all traces of dust and begin to roller on the lacquer of your choice, e.g. Bona or Junkers.

10

Apply the second coat of lacquer after the first coat is dry.

11

Apply a third coat of lacquer if it is a high traffic area to protect the floor more after the second coat is dry.

12

Try your best to keep the floor free from any grit and dirt to keep the floor looking at its best for a longer period of time.

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Tips

Remove all wood chips and dust prior to each step of sanding and lacquering to achieve the best result.

Use a sweeping motion to obtain the desired finish.

The best option for floor sanding is thus renting out a machine which was designed for this purpose.

Make sure to always use sweeping and gliding motions.

Go with the wood grain.

Avoid the temptation to keep going over stains or irregularities with the hope that they will go away; they won't.

You should do a practice run on a place that is usually hidden such as under a rug so it really doesn't matter of you make a big mistake.

Warnings

Wear a respirator.

Floor sanding is not really a DIY job. It is in fact, a job for the professionals. If you've never used a floor sander before, be mindful; you could do more harm than good to your floors in no time at all.

Always be sure to provide adequate ventilation during sanding and refinishing.

Do not leave the drum sander in one place as it will leave a big drum mark!